The Science of Selling Wine

(Cornellsun) - When it comes to the best-selling wines, one might expect those with the best aromas or those that are the oldest will sell quickly. However, studies led by Prof. Miguel Gomez, applied economics and management, have shown that aromas and years are not the only aspects that drive consumerism of wine.

Gomez’ research team designed two studies to reveal which types of wines consumers want.

According to Gomez, the studies gauged customer satisfaction through surveying consumers in tasting rooms across New York. These surveys covered everything from signage to parking lot appearance.

Gomez found that it was not necessarily the quality of wine that intrigued customers, but the service level and environment of the tasting room. According to Gomez, a nice view out of a window, as well as the knowledge and friendliness of the server, are the key precursors to a satisfied customer.

“If you have a nice window with a nice view or an open space with a nice view, people are much happier than if you have them in a darker, enclosed tasting room,” Gomez said.

Wine purchases are also determined by the amount and type of information given to the customers. Gomez and his collaborators performed a three-month study, which weekly changed the type of information about the wines, that revealed consumers are more responsive to objective descriptors as opposed to subjective descriptors, according to Gomez.

Objective descriptors include technical aspects of the wine such as rating or year. Subjective descriptors are the special features of the wine such as the aroma or color.

“If you are the sommelier of the tasting rooms, having just objective descriptors makes it so that you have to interact more with the customer, allowing for a more personal connection,” Gomez said.

To apply these findings, Gomez and his collaborator, Prof. Anna Mansfield, enology, held training sessions throughout New York for tasting room employees.